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Hey everyone, here's the problem: the black strip located on top of the aquarium on my 45g tank is coming loose. The moisture is now getting inbetween the glass and the strip on the outside, and is dripping water slowly down the glass. It appears that the glue that was supposed to hold the condensation has worn away. What do I do? What kind of glue can I use? Any help is greatly appreciated.

You can reseal it with aquarium safe silicone. You may or may not be able to do this without emptying the tank completely, however the area will need to be dry and remain dry for at least 24 hours while the silicone cures.

You can get GE Silicone I in caulking size tubes at your local home improvement store for about the same cost that a very small tube of so called "Aquarium Sealer" will be at your lfs. Make sure to get Silicone I as the Silicone II has additives to inhibit mold which good prove deadly to your fish.

Last edited by OldTimer at 27-Apr-2005 18:20

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Hmmmm.... Mybe try doing a small vacuum to take a bit of the water out, then silicone. That should keep the water away from the top while it dries. It might give your fish a headache, though, that stuff stinks.

If you can't afford the pricey Aquarium grade silicone, you can try other cheaper clear stuff.... just make sure it's 100% silicone.

Or--- just throwing out suggestions here-- hot glue gun??? Don't know if it would have the same effect, but it dries a lot quicker.

aquarium safe sillicone prob yer best bet... like stated previously, lower your water first, dry the parts, use the sillicone, let it dry, then fill water back up.. good luck...

i dont think hot glue would hold the water long enough


ps. where you get the tank and how long have you had it?

Aquarium grade silicone can be purchased for about half the price from a home improvement store. However all the ones I've seen are maked for 30 gallons or under. Considering the size of the tank you might want to go for something that's sure to hold (what the difference is I'm not sure ).
All the directions I've seen for resealing a tank require that the old silicone be cut away with a razor (carefully obviously) so although it's going to be a pain, I'd suggest moving the fish to a holding tank (rubbermaid storage totes work well for this ...just make sure it's clean ). Make sure the glass is fully dried then reseald and dried.

^_^
[hr width='40%']"I'm alright, I'm alright
It only hurts when I breathe"

You may be right on that Babel about the less than 30 gallon thing, but I think this is more of a way that manufacturer tries to limit any liabilities that may come up if an aquaruim springs a leak after using their product. I'm pretty sure the make-up is all the same.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

The tank was my dad's orginally. It was bought at Big Al's in 1993, so it's pretty old.

I just visited my local Home Depot to check out the GE silicone I. The back said that the sealant is not for aquariums. Is there any validity to this statement, or is the product safe for aquarium usage? I wanted to be sure, since I don't want to to take a chance on destroying my entire fish community.

The only validity that it is safe for your aquariums is the fact that others have used it without any problem.

Could they be the same people who create the aquarium sealant, in smaller tubes, for twice the price?

heidi michelle


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I see a lot of people who
Got to have a piece of me
I'd give the shirt right off my back
If I had the nerve to say
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
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"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

some do say aquarium safe- the ones that are not contain additives that inhibit mold growth (for bathroom usage and such), which would leach out and kill fish and plants. some brands do act as a water barrier, but do not hold up under water pressure- hence the mentioned warning about the "30 gallons". kind of like scoth tape versus super glue.

since you need a water barrier for the top plastic retainer thingy (no clue what it is called), i would not worry too much about the water pressure problem. i would not trust glue gun glue in an aquarium setting. it may act as an effective water barrier, but i would hate to think of the chemical composition of a 50 cent glue stick.

OO OOO OOO!! My turn!!! aquarium safe silicone!!!

The back said that the sealant is not for aquariums. Is there any validity to this statement, or is the product safe for aquarium usage?

Trust it.

Find GE 100% silicone, that is aquarium safe and has no additives to kill your fish.